Circular seamless hose knitting machine



March 31, 1959 A. P. SAUNDERS CIRCULAR SEAMLESS HOSE KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1.955

Inventor flLHiED PERCY SJJUNDEHS y l wfi WA ttorney March 31, 1959 p, SAUNDERS 2,879,652

CIRCULAR SEAMLESS HOSE KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 8, 1955 I I I I I llil. .j 4

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CIRCULAR SEAMLESS HOSE KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 8, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor flLFIfED PERCY SH ND R Attorney ilnited States Patent CIRCULAR SEAMLESS HOSE KNITTING MACHINE Alfred Percy Saunders, Leicester, England, assignor to Wildt and Company Limited, Leicester, Engl nd, a British company Application March 8, 1955, Serial No. 492,962 Claims priority, application Great Britain March 15, 1954 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-14) This invention relates to methods of and means for producing seamless articles of knitted footwear of the kind having a turn-over top.

Thus, the invention is applicable not only to the manufacture of socks having a short leg and a turnover top, such as are worn by children, but also of ladies tennis socks, ankle socks, three-quarter hose and certain types of sports hose.

Heretofore, if it was desired to pattern a turn-over top by a wrap thread design, the said top had to bemade on a machine separate from that on which the remainder of the article was produced, the said top being subsequently run on or seamed to the leg of the article. If this had not been so, and the top had been knitted in one piece with the remainder of the article produced in the normal way, then when the top was folded over in wear, the wrong side of the design would have been presented outwardly.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective method of making a seamless article of knitted footwear having a turn-over top patterned by a wrap thread design which method avoids the necessity of knitting on two separate machines.

A further object is to provide, in a circular knitting machine of the double-axially opposed needle cylinder type furnished with wrap striping mechanism, an improved movable verge adapted to facilitate the carrying out of the aforesaid method.

The seamless article of knitted footwear produced by the method and machine of this invention is characterised in that the turn-over top is knitted in one piece with the remainder of the article and is patterned by a Wrap thread design which faces outwardly, i.e. appears on the outside, when the top is in its folded over condition.

To produce this article, the turn-over top and at least the heel and the toe thereof are reversely knitted as compared with the leg and at least the instep portion of the foot, so that by turning the article (as produced) inside out the wrap thread design will appear on the outside of the upper portion of the top when folded over. Thus, according to one method, the leg and at least the instep portion are knitted inside out, as com-' pared with conventional practice, whilst the top and at least the heel and toe are knitted in the normal way on one and the same machine; accordingly, when the article is reversed, the leg and the instep will be the right (and normal) side out, whereas the top and the heel and the toe will be inside out. But since the upper portion of the top is eventually folded over, the wrap thread design will be again reversed so that it faces outwardly.

It is to be clearly understood that in this specification face outwardly. Thus, in the finished article, i.e. regarde ing this when it has "been taken off the machine and turned inside out, but before the top has been folded over, all of the outwardly facing plain loops or stitches both in the leg and in a't'least the instep portion of the foot will be seen to be formed in the opposite direction to the plain knitted loops or stitches in the turn-over top and in the heel and toe.

The method of making the article may be carried out on any appropriatetype 'of circular knitting machine equipped with two opposed needle beds and a wrap striping mechanism. Thus, whilst it is primarily the intention to carryout the invention on a machine of the superimposed needle cylinder type comprising a bottom or plain needlecylind'er-and an axially opposed top or rib needle cylinder, a machine of the cylinder and dial type may also be employed. In the latter type of machine, outwardly facing plain loops or stitches are, of course, drawn by the cylinder needles, whilst-inwardly facing rib loops are drawn by the dial needles.

In carrying out the improved procedure of knitting, the entire heel and toe and also the loops or stitches in the turn-over top which are ultimately to face outwardly are formed by needles in one, eg, the plain needle, bed of the machine, whereas the loops or stitches which are similarly to face outwardly in the leg and the instep are formed by needles in the other, e.g. rib, needle bed. The sole or foot bottom may be knitted by needles in either or both beds.

In the case of a machine of the double axially opposed, e.g. superimposed, needle cylinder type, it is necessary to provide in association with the rib needle cylinder an axially movable verge so designed as to permit of the drawing of rib loops or stitches whilst allowing sufficient clearance for simultaneous operation of the wrap instruments of'the wrap striping mechanism.

The said verge, moreover, is automatically adjustable to vary the quality, i.e. rib loop or stitch length, as between one portion of the article and another. Thus, the verge is movable towards and away from the customary holding down sinke'rs or web holders associated with the plain needle cylinder according to the length of loop or stitch required.

In accordance with an important feature of the machine, the verge, in the form of a ring, is adapted 'to be automatically controlled by means located and arranged to operate outside the range of the wrap instruments and the rotating parts of the head of the machine. The position of the verge can in these circumstances be changed in relation to the knocking-over point while the machine is running. In a convenient embodiment of this feature, the verge is secured upon a shaft mounted for movement axially along the central axis of .the machine, and this shaft is furnished with a verge-operating member adapted to be automatically controlled from the main control unit, e.g. drum, of the machine through intermediate connections of any appropriate character located exteriorly of the machine head.

To enable the invention to be more clearly understood, a specific example of a seamless article of knitted footwear, and a circular knitting machine of the superimposed needle cylinder type suitable for producing the same will now be described ,with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 illustrates a -t urn-'over top sock made in accordancewith the invention and turnedinside out to present the wrap hreaddesignon the outside,

Figure 2 is adiagrammatic representation, drawn to a greatly magnified scale, of fragmentary portions of the turn-over .top, the leg andheel (or toe) vfabric of the m i Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of so much of the head of the aforesaid machine as is necessary to illustrate the arrangement of the wrap instruments and of the improved verge ring,

Figure 4 is a side view of the means for operating and controlling the verge ring, and

Figure is a fragmentary view depicting a few of the double-ended needles of the machine set out to knit l x l rib fabric, a portion of the verge ring and wrap instruments positioned behind the needles.

The particular sock illustrated, by way of example, in Figure 1 includes a welt 1 followed by a l x l rib tumover top 2 the folded over portion 2a of which is patterned by a wrap thread design 3. This design is produced by combining embroidery stitches with selected plain loops or stitches of the outwardly facing wales (alternating with the inwardly facing rib wales) of the folded over portion 2a. The sock has a plain leg 4 and a plain instep 5 in which all of the knitted loops face outwardly. On the other hand, the heel 6, the associated high heel portion 7, the sole or foot bottom 8 and the toe 9 are all reversely knitted and have inwardly facing plain loops or stitches so that they are, in fact, inside out in relation to the leg 4 and the instep 5. The numeral 10 indicates the linking courses, whilst the locations at which yarn changes are effected in the turn-over top 2 are depicted at 11.

In Figure 2, the different portions of fabric adjoin or are closely juxtaposed to facilitate comparison. Moreover, it is assumed that the sock has been knitted, taken off the machine and turned inside out, but the top has not yet been folded over. In the fragmentary portion of the l x l rib turn-over top 2, depicted in this figure, the alternate rib wales are indicated at R and the intervening plain walesat P. The design 3, a very small portion only of which is shown, is composed of embroidery stitches ES which are knitted from individual wrap threads WT and combined with selected plain loops or stitches PL in the wales P. Thus, in the specific example illustrated, embroidery stitches ES are interknitted with plain loops or stitches PL in even courses in desired ones of the wales P, and in the odd courses in other of the said wales, although this particular disposition is shown merely by way of example and may vary widely,-

according to requirements. At F are indicated floats of the wrap threads connecting the embroidery stitches ES. Thus, although the inside face of the turn-over top 2 is shown in Figure 2 it will, of course, be understood that when the said top is folded over for wear, the wales P in which the wrap threads WT are incorporated will be outwardly facing, and the floats F will accordingly be hidden from view. i

As will be seen, in the fragmentary portion of leg fabric 4 depicted in Figure 2 all of the knitted loops KL face outwardly, whereas in the heel fabric 6 (and similarly in the toe fabric) the loops KL are all reversely knitted and face inwardly.

According to a modification of the sock described with reference to Figure l, the sole or foot bottom 8 may have outwardly facing loops or stitches in the same way as the leg and the instep. Moreover, and as will be appreciated from the. .foregoing description, the turn-over top may alternatively be purl or plain, and at least the leg and the instep may be knitted'on any desired rib basis.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 5, it will be seen that the illustrated machine comprises a rotary bottom (plain) needle cylinder 12, a superimposed rotary top (rib) cylinder 13, double-ended needles such as 14 mounted for operation in the said cylinders, and sliders 15 and 16 v a in the bottom and top cylinders respectively whereby the needles are actuated and transferred from one cylinder to the other, according to knitting requirements. Holding down sinkers or web holders such as 17 of-conventional form are associated with the bottom cylinder 12. Mounted concentrically within the top cylinder 13 4 or grooved inner cylindrical component 18 in which are mounted wrap instruments 19. The operative lower extremities 19a of these instruments are so formed as to enable individual wrap threads WT to be fed to needles working in the bottom cylinder 12, whilst the upper portions of the said instruments are formed with butts 19b, 19c and 19d whereby they are operated and controlled substantially as described in the complete specifications of our prior United Kingdom Patents Nos. 455,801 and 526,963. The wrap threads WT are drawn from bobbins 20 mounted on a super-structure 21, and are guided downwardly through tubes 22 or the equivalent located within the inner cylindrical component 18. Mounted for movement up and down, with its vertical axis coincident with the central axis of the machine head, is a tubular shaft 23 upon the lower end of which is secured a verge ring 24 around the periphery of which needles working in the top cylinder 13 draw their loops. This ring 24 is peripherally tricked, there being one trick 24a and also an associated recess 24b (see Figure 5) to each needle. The presence of the recesses 24b prevents cutting of the rib loops. To the upper end of the tubular shaft 23 is secured a verge-operating disc 25 which is circumferentially grooved at 25a and so formed as to permit of the free passage therethrough of the wrap threads WT. Screws 26 and 27 serve to secure the verge ring and the operating disc to the shaft 23 so that all three parts are movable together as a unit. The disc 25 is automatically actuated in the manner and by the means presently to be described for varying the elevation of the verge ring 24 by moving it up or down ;away from or towards the sinkers 17. But whatever the elevation of the ring 24, there is always sufiicient clearance, between its flat top side (free of protuberances) and the lower extremity of the top cylinder 13, to permit of the simultaneous operation of wrap instruments 19 and rib needles working in said cylinder. This will .be clear from a consideration of Figure 5, wherein needles working in the top cylinder 13 are indicated at Whenever the elevation of the verge ring 24 is changed, a commensurate variation in the length of the rib loop or stitch is efiected. Thus, if long rib knitted loops or stitches are required, the ring must be moved to a low position close to the sinkers 17 (see Figure 3). Adjustment of the verge ring automatically is necessary when knitting purl, rib or selective transfer designs in any appropriate portion of a seamless article of footwear produced in accordance with this invention.

The aforementioned disc 25.is automatically actuated to raise and lower the verge ring 24, according to knitting requirements, by the mechanism depicted in Figure 4. As will be seen, this mechanism includes a lever 28 which is fulcrumed at 29 between its ends and is furnished with a pin 30, yoke or roller arranged to engage in the groove 25a in the disc 25. The fulcrum 29 is car- .ried by a bracket 31secured upon the top plate 32 of the machine. A lug 31a on this bracket is tapped to receive a screw 33 constituting an adjustable stop for contact with the underside of the arm 28a of the lever 28 J for the purpose of determining the lowest position of the verge ring 24. The other arm 28b of the lever 28 is connected, by means of a link 34, with a lever 35 having a toe 35a adapted to be acted upon by cams such as that indicated at 36 on the control drum 37. The connections are influenced by a spring 38 against the action of which the lever 28 is turned to lower the verge ring 24.

In producing the specific article hereinbefore described with reference to Figure l on the illustrated machine, a normal welt is first knitted, whereupon the machine autofor rotation together therewith is a longitudinally tricked 7 of'the' needles previously in the bottom cylinder are transferred to the top cylinder and the plane leg is knitted inside out. When the heel is reached, all of the needles in the half round heel and toe group are transferred back to the bottom cylinder and the heel is then produced by reciprocatory knitting in the usual way. After the heel, the machine changes to circular knitting, to knit the instep and the sole or foot bottomthe former inside out on the sector of needles in the top cylinder and the latter in a reverse manner on the heel and toe group of needles at that time working in the bottom cylinder. The toe is thereupon produced in a similar manner to the heel, and after, say, two courses the heel and toe needles are returned to the top cylinder to knit the linking courses. When this article is taken ofl the machine, it requires to be turned inside out so that when the top is folded over the wrap design faces outwards.

Alternatively, instead of the heel and toe needles remaining in the bottom cylinder after the heel has been formed, they may be immediately transferred to the top cylinder so that the entire foot-instep and foot bottom-is knitted inside out so that the plain loops or stitches will face outwardly when the article is taken off the machine and reversed.

As a further alternative, the leg and the instep may be knitted on a broad rib basis. For example, if the said leg and instep are to he, say, 6 x 3 rib and, as worn, are to present outwardly facing broad panels each of six wales width, then the needles would be set out in spaced groups of six in the top cylinder and intervening groups of three in the bottom cylinder. This is, of course, the reverse of the manner in which a 6 x 3 leg would normally be made with groups each of three needles in the top cylinder and intervening groups of six needles in the bottom cylinder.

I claim:

1. A circular seamless hose knitting machine comprising, in combination, a rotary plain needle cylinder, an axially opposed rotary rib needle cylinder, double ended needles working in said cylinders and transferable from one cylinder to the other, and vice versa, holding down sinkers associated with said plain cylinder, a wrap striping mechanism, including wrap instruments operable to lap individual wrap striping threads around needles in the plain cylinder, a verge ring which is associated with the said rib cylinder and is adapted to permit the drawing of rib loops by needles in the rib cylinder while allowing sufiicient clearance for simultaneous operation of the wrap instruments, the said verge ring being formed with axially extending needle-receiving grooves, one to each needle, and with associated recesses to prevent cutting of the rib loops, a shaft upon which the verge ring is secured, this shaft being mounted for movement axially along the central axis of the machine for the purpose of moving the said verge ring towards and away from the holding down sinkers suchwise as to vary the quality, i.e. the rib loop length, as between one portion and another of a seamless knitted article of footwear, a verge ring operating member provided on the said shaft, a control unit, and connections between the said unit and the verge ring operating member whereby the latter is automatically controlled.

2. A circular seamless hose knitting machine comprising, in combination, a rotary plain needle cylinder, an

axially opposed rotary rib needle cylinder, double ended needles working in said cylinders and transferable from one cylinder to the other, and vice versa, holding down sinkers associated with said plain cylinder, a wrap strip ing mechanism including wrap instruments operable to lap individual wrap striping threads around needles in the plain cylinder, a verge ring which is associated with the said rib cylinder and is adapted to permit the drawing of rib loops by needles in the rib cylinder while allowing sufiicient clearance for simultaneous operation of the wrap instruments, the said verge ring being formed with axially extending needle-receiving grooves, one to each needle, and with associated recesses to prevent cutting of the rib loops, a shaft upon which the verge ring is secured, this shaft being mounted for movement axially along the central axis of the machine for the purpose of moving the said verge ring towards and away from the holding down sinkers suchwise as to vary the quality, i.e. the rib loop length, as between one portion and another of a seamless knitted article of footwear, a verge ring operating member provided on the said shaft, the said member being constituted by a circumferentially grooved disc, a control drum, cams on said drum, a member adapted to be acted upon by said cams, a biased lever connected with said last mentioned member, and a pin on the lever which is arranged to cooperate with the verge ring operating member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,713,736 Bentley May 21, 1929 2,263,492 Grothey Nov. 18, 1941 2,294,916 Kretzer Sept. 8, 1942 2,294,917 Kretzer Sept. 8, 1942 2,387,253 Getaz Oct. 23, 1945 2,555,870 Bristow June 5, 1951 2,670,617 Bryant Mar. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 426,726 Great Britain Apr. 1, 1935 514,666 Great Britain Nov. 14, 1939 

